Ranger

Huntingdonshire District Council; Huntingdon; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

flexitime

Job summary

Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) is seeking a Ranger to support Habitat Banking and Biodiversity Net Gain projects across Huntingdonshire. You will translate habitat plans into action, create and manage habitats, and work across council-owned green spaces with partners and volunteers.

You will lead practical conservation works, monitor progress, maintain records, and contribute to long-term biodiversity objectives while supporting events, site management, and visitor engagement.

Qualifications

• Full driving licence is essential, with countryside management qualifications or equivalent experience.
• Chainsaw and brushcutter certificates would be advantageous.
• Good site management and safe working practices are required.

Responsibilities

• Translate habitat plans into on-the-ground actions across multiple sites.
• Establish and manage habitat works (grassland, hedgerows, woodlands, wetlands).
• Lead and coordinate volunteers and contractors on conservation tasks.
• Monitor habitat development and maintain accurate records for biodiversity data.
• Support the Ranger team in park and nature reserve management and visitor engagement.

Skills

Practical conservation

Organisation

Volunteer coordination

Communication

Education

Countryside management qualifications

Practical countryside experience

Tools

Chainsaw cert

Brushcutter cert

Job description

Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) is passionate about providing high-quality services to our communities, residents and businesses. This means we must employ and retain the most talented and dedicated people.

Situated within the heart of the Cambridge-Peterborough Growth Area, Huntingdonshire is a beautiful district that boasts thriving market towns and many attractive villages, each with its own identity. We are an innovative and forward-thinking local authority whose residents are at the heart of our decision-making.

At HDC we want to employ staff who embody our icare values (Inspiring, Collaborative, Accountable, Respectful, Enterprising), all of which support our ultimate purpose of putting our customers first.

As local government continues to evolve, Huntingdonshire District Council is preparing for an exciting period of change through Local Government Reorganisation. While organisational structures may change in the coming years, our commitment to delivering excellent services for our communities remains unchanged.

Joining HDC now gives you a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact today whilst helping to shape the future of local government across our area. We are looking for people who are motivated by public service, embrace innovation, and want to play a part in building the organisation of tomorrow.

Job details

Are you passionate about practical conservation and interested in helping deliver the next generation of habitat restoration and nature recovery projects?

We are looking for an enthusiastic and practical Ranger to join our Parks and Countryside Team, with a particular focus on supporting Huntingdonshire District Council's growing Habitat Banking and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) programme.

This is an exciting opportunity to help turn ambitious plans for nature into practical improvements on the ground. Working across a range of Council-owned green spaces, you will help create, restore and enhance habitats including grasslands, hedgerows, woodlands, wetlands and other valuable habitats for wildlife.

You'll be involved throughout the practical delivery of projects – helping plan and undertake habitat management works, coordinating volunteers and contractors, monitoring how habitats develop and supporting the long-term management needed to achieve our biodiversity objectives.

Alongside your Habitat Banking work, you will be an important member of our wider Ranger team, supporting the management of the Council's country parks, nature reserves and open spaces.

If you enjoy practical conservation, want to develop your knowledge of BNG and are excited by the opportunity to help deliver measurable improvements for nature, we'd love to hear from you.

About The Role

As a Ranger, you will have a particular focus on supporting the practical delivery of the Council's Habitat Banking and BNG projects across Huntingdonshire.

Working alongside the wider Parks and Countryside Team and our ecological partners, you will help translate habitat management plans into action on the ground. This could include establishing and improving species-rich grassland, planting and managing hedgerows, enhancing woodland and wetland habitats, controlling scrub and invasive species, and undertaking other practical conservation works.

A key part of the role will be helping us understand whether those interventions are working. You will support habitat surveys and monitoring, maintain accurate records, identify emerging issues and help adapt practical management where required. The Ranger JD specifically places responsibility on the role for implementing management plans, maintaining records and reporting observations so programmes can be adjusted.

You will lead and support volunteer work parties and work with colleagues, contractors, community groups and partner organisations to deliver projects safely and effectively. You'll need to be organised and comfortable working across different locations, balancing planned habitat works with the changing priorities that come with managing public green spaces.

This isn't solely a BNG role. You will also support the wider Ranger team with the day-to-day management of our parks, nature reserves and open spaces, including site management, visitor engagement, events and Duty Ranger responsibilities when required.

About You

We're looking for someone with a strong interest in habitat creation, restoration and practical conservation who wants to play a hands-on role in delivering nature recovery.

You’ll have experience of practical conservation or countryside management and a good understanding of habitat and wildlife conservation. You’ll be confident using appropriate tools and equipment and understand the importance of safe working practices, risk assessments and good site management. These are all core requirements of the existing Ranger role.

You don't need to be a BNG expert to apply. Experience or knowledge of Biodiversity Net Gain, habitat condition assessment, ecological monitoring or habitat restoration would be an advantage, but we're equally interested in people with strong practical conservation skills and the enthusiasm to develop their knowledge.

You’ll need to be proactive, organised and comfortable taking ownership of work. Because projects will be spread across different sites, you’ll need to be able to work independently, manage competing priorities and recognise when something isn't working and needs a different approach.

You’ll also enjoy working with people. Whether you’re leading volunteers, speaking with visitors, working alongside ecologists and contractors or supporting other Rangers, you’ll be able to communicate clearly and build positive working relationships.

Most importantly, we're looking for someone who wants to make a visible difference for nature. This is an opportunity to help establish and improve habitats that will be managed for the long term, while developing practical experience in one of the fastest-growing areas of nature conservation.

A full driving licence is essential, along with relevant countryside management qualifications or equivalent practical experience. Relevant operational qualifications such as chainsaw and brushcutter certificates would be advantageous.

DBS check will be required on appointment.

An offer of employment is conditional upon having the right to work in the UK. HDC does not hold a Sponsorship Licence and is unable to provide a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) or take over sponsorship for any role.

Working for the council

As an employer who values diversity of thought, we seek to employ candidates from a range of backgrounds in order to make our organisation more innovative. We are seeking candidates who are looking for their next career opportunity and are supportive employers, enabling our staff to work in an environment that produces high standards of work in an employee-led environment.

Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our recruitment and along with our values we are committed to creating an inclusive working environment, where diversity is valued and there is equality of opportunity. We therefore welcome applications from all sections of the community and we offer a range of benefits, including flexitime, to encourage a work-life balance.

• flexitime